Introduction

This Handbook is designed to be a generic guide to nonviolent
direct action. In my experience protesting during the 1980s I
found that the handbooks published by the Abalone Alliance for
protesting the nuclear power plant at Diablo Canyon, California
and by the Vandenberg Action Coalition for direct action to stop
testing of the MX missile and other handbooks were extremely useful
for understanding the methods of nonviolent civil disobedience
by affinity groups using consensus decision-making procedures.
Much of the information in the chapters on Group Process and Legal
Process are drawn from those previous handbooks, and I gratefully
acknowledge them. Based on my long studies of peace, nonviolence,
politics, international law, social change, and psychological
liberation, I have added the chapters on Nonviolence, Liberation
from Seven Deadly ­Isms, Creative Actions, and also the section
on legal defenses using international law. The latter is based
on my experience while defending myself in six trials and in writing
two appeals to federal circuit courts. This Handbook is generic,
because it is not focused on any particular issue or direct action
campaign but can be applied to any cause using nonviolent protest.
Anyone who has suggestions or questions may communicate with me
by sending e-mail to san@beck.org.

The photo shows me sitting on the railroad
tracks (on the right) blocking a train from the Concord Naval
Weapons Station that may have been carrying weapons for shipment
to Central America. I have been arrested for protesting nonviolently
more than fifty times, and I always felt that the experience was
valuable and worth the sacrifice, even when I was imprisoned for
six months for having stepped over an imaginary line outside the
main gate of the Trident submarine base at King's Bay, Georgia
in 1989. How long it will take to bring peace and justice to this
world will probably depend on how many people are willing to make
such sacrifices and to work also in other ways to reform our violent
society. Mahatma Gandhi called his nonviolent efforts to improve
society his experiments with truth, and I encourage you to make
such experiments also by courageously putting your love into practice.

I believe that our violent and plutocratic society needs a nonviolent
revolution to end the neo-imperialist policies of the United States
Government by democratic means so that we can have governments
of real compassion, liberty, and true justice for all. This transformation
of militarism must be nonviolent, not only because any violent
attempt would be crushed by force, but because we are opposed
to using violence. This ultimate revolution of our historic era
is essentially a revolution to end the use of massive force in
wars as instruments of social and political control. The process
is one of converting hearts and minds by demonstrating the better
ways of using education, communication, democracy, and active
nonviolent persuasion. As George Harrison sang, "With our
love we can change the world, if they only knew." I have
faith that the actions of loving people will bring about a more
peaceful society. I hope you will help.

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The only solution is love.
Dorothy Day
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Between Submission and Retaliation

The way of nonviolent action has been described as a third
way, an alternative to weak submission to wrongs and violent reaction
against them. Most people only see the two common alternatives:
they either accept the unjust situation passively or prepare to
use force in defense of their rights. Unfortunately those who
use force often are not able to control it or keep it from oppressing
others. Thus what starts out as a means of defending a group's
interests often ends up interfering in the affairs of others.
Justice is rarely achieved by seeing who has the strongest military
forces to kill and destroy the opponent most effectively. On the
other hand those who passively submit to what is forced upon them
usually are considered weak and cowardly as they suffer oppression
from the aggressive.

The third way enables even those who are few in numbers or
poor in material resources to stand up for their rights with moral
strength and dignity. Also neutral persons may come to their aid
without injuring either side, and even dissenters from the aggressive
side may intervene nonviolently for the sake of justice. One need
not be big and powerful by worldly standards to use nonviolent
action. The very old and young, women, and even the handicapped
can be just as effective in nonviolent action as physically strong
young men. The power of nonviolence comes from the spiritual qualities
of love, understanding, communication skill, courage, and persistent
endurance.

Regardless of the particular goal or cause at stake, the nonviolent
method is careful to make sure the means do no harm. By not inflicting
any harm on the opponents the nonviolent activists are not immediately
threatening to them. However, the opponents may not like the goals
of the nonviolent action, and therefore they may inflict harm
on the nonviolent people anyway. When this occurs, it is important
that peaceful activists not retaliate or fight back physically.
At the same time it is equally important that we persist in our
efforts and not give in because of the suffering we are undergoing.
Otherwise we are encouraging the opponents to punish us in order
to "deter" us. In this way nonviolent activists can
earn the respect of opponents who believe in force. As they realize
that force is not working in stopping the activists' protests,
they will have to re-evaluate their tactics and the whole situation.
Using nonviolent action is no guarantee that no violence will
result, because the opponents may use force. However, it is the
strongest form of action that we can use to truly win over the
opponents, while minimizing the total violence by not contributing
to it at all. The weak method of passive submission does nothing
to alleviate the oppression and injustice already present, while
violent reaction escalates the violence and oppression of the
situation.

Open Friendliness

The way of nonviolence is open to the flow of love which may
come from any direction. To love completely is to be open to the
whole universe and everyone in it, both in receiving from others
and in giving love to others. True love is universal, not just
for one other person. By being open and friendly to everyone we
can better understand them and their concerns, and they will be
more likely to listen to ours as well. The way of love treats
the whole world as one big happy family. In this way we do not
close ourselves off from anyone or any viewpoint. We are not afraid
to consider all views, and we find that diversity does not have
to result in disharmony if we are friends.

In the nonviolent movement we are very friendly toward each
other; at the same time we try to be equally friendly toward our
opponents and critics. As human beings they are just as important
as we are, and we need to understand them even more than people
who agree with us. What the world needs more than anything else
is more love and friendship, and this is something that each of
us can contribute to in our daily lives. By developing friendly
relationships with those who oppose us we are beginning the process
of social healing. Nothing is more disarming than a sincere smile.

Openness means that we are not trying to hide anything or take
advantage of what the other person does not know. Also it means
that we are open to receive what other people have to offer us.
We are open to the flow of Spirit moving in our lives and in the
lives of those around us. We are available to communication and
relationship and cooperation with what is good. However, in our
openness to examine all viewpoints, we still retain our own discernment
of what is morally good. We need not agree with all concepts or
attitudes nor do we cooperate with what we believe is harmful,
but we are always willing to discuss and consider what is best.

Friendliness is a good feeling that we share with others. When
our hearts are open, we do not discriminate between people but
share our good feelings with everyone equally. In this way we
live in love all the time. Yet we do not need to love what everyone
does. We can discern the difference between our love for people
and what they do. We may hate their actions and attitudes but
still love them as souls and human beings. In fact loving friendship
is not afraid to communicate our concerns and differences of opinions
so that we might resolve them most easily and directly. Sometimes
this requires "hard love" and honesty in communication.

Honest Communication

Gandhi used the term satyagraha
to describe the way of the nonviolent activist. The word satya
means truth, deriving from sat which means truth in the
sense of being, reality or existence. The word graha means
firmly holding to something. Thus satyagraha means firmly
holding to the truth and implies that this truth is the spiritual
reality of our beingness, as when Jesus said, "I am life,
truth, and the way." Regardless of a person's religion or
lack of it, this nonviolent way is based on a spiritual dedication
to truth and therefore honesty in human relations.

The great gift of our human intelligence enables us to communicate
clearly with each other, not only directly by our actions but
also symbolically by means of language. Because language is a
symbolic abstraction referring to objects, relations, and concepts,
the words may or may not be accurate to the reality they are attempting
to describe. In other words, language may be in error, or people
can and do lie. Deception is a subtle form of violence, because
it shows a lack of respect for other people or fear of reality.
The way of love is based on the love of the truth in everyone
and everything. Gandhi used to
say that there is no God higher than the truth. To separate ourselves
from the truth is to separate ourselves from reality.

Thus to be true to ourselves we must be true to others as well.
Is it really loving to try to be nice and not to tell someone
we like that what they are doing is bothering us? If we allow
resentment to build up, we soon find ourselves in conflict and
misunderstanding. True love means having the courage to confront
ourselves and others with the reality of what is going on so that
we can work to resolve it together. By hard love we learn how
to be self-critical and constantly watchful of how we can improve
ourselves and our situation with others.

Our feelings tell us much about what is going on with us, and
by communicating them we will be much more able to master the
situation in a way that is best for the group. Of course this
does not mean we unleash all our personal problems on others without
any discernment. The best communication is clear, open, and honest.
We clearly communicate when we are aware of what our feelings,
thoughts, and concerns are and make them clear to others without
inflicting our own "stuff" on to other people. We are
responsible for working out our own emotional problems without
projecting them on others, but we can still communicate what we
are going through if we wish. We need to be careful not to let
personal problems distort the larger issues we are working on
together. The process of group communication can help us each
to see past our own personal concerns to what is best for everyone.

As a group it is especially important that we make sure that
our communications with the public and our adversaries are accurate
and truthful, because the credibility of our movement depends
on this trust that we are not trying to mislead people. This is
another contrast to the military methods of secrecy and surprise.
In making peace with others we want them to know exactly what
we are doing and what our objectives are so that we can work them
out in as open a situation as possible. How much information a
group decides to volunteer to opponents is an issue to be discussed
in relation to strategy. However, there can be little doubt that
conscious deception must be prohibited for the sake of public
trust.

Respect for Freedom and Equality

The way of love is also the way of freedom, because no one
but ourselves directs us how to express our love. This is another
contrast to military authoritarianism in which individuals must
take orders from superiors. In the nonviolent movement we are
all free and equal, each listening to our own inner guidance and
sharing our concerns with the group. Then the group can freely
decide, based on all individuals' considerations, how the group
wishes to act. Thus first we must recognize our own freedom of
choice and equal right to participate.

Even more important is that we realize the equality of all
human beings and respect the liberty of others just as we want
our own freedom respected. The nonviolent way of love is not possessive
of others nor does it attempt to control others or use force against
them. If we love others, we respect their autonomy to make their
own decisions. We certainly can communicate with them, and we
may even confront them with our presence to pressure them nonviolently
to make a specific choice, if we believe that what they are doing
is wrong and harmful to people. The important distinction is that
we do not try to force them physically or violently to do what
we want. Rather we may attempt to intervene nonviolently between
the persons and the wrong acts we believe they are doing so that
they have to make a choice either to remove us or stop that behavior.
Nonviolent protests do not hurt people, although they may cause
them some inconvenience in going about the business which we believe
is harmful. In doing this we attempt to treat these people as
our equals and respect them as individuals. Our actions are meant
as a direct communication of our concern for the well-being of
those involved in the situation.

We must be careful in our attitudes not to imply that we feel
we are superior, because we are critical of what others are doing.
We all make mistakes, and the nonviolent way is a path of humility
which attempts to peacefully suggest to others that they may wish
to examine the morality of what they are doing. We are not insisting
that they change, but we may insist that they at least consider
changing. We do this by presenting them with clear choices, which
often result in our own self-sacrifice if they make the choice
we believe is wrong. Thus we have not inflicted suffering on them,
but we have been willing to suffer in our attempt to alleviate
the wrong.

Courageous Compassion

Contrary to much popular belief, the way of love and nonviolent
action is not a weak and passive method, and it certainly is not
for cowards. Nonviolent direct action may take more courage than
fighting with violence in a war, although that is a kind of bravery.
However, if we analyze the use of weapons we can see that they
are employed out of fear of what the opponent will do to us if
we do not use violence against them. The truly courageous are
not afraid of the opponents and therefore need no weapon at all.
Does it take more courage to go into battle hiding behind armor
and using a gun to kill anyone who appears threatening or to walk
with dignity unarmed and unafraid into the conflict?

Thus courage is measured by how much we are able to overcome
our fear and do what we believe is best to do anyway. Those who
fight with weapons for what they believe are more courageous than
those who passively accept injustice and allow themselves to be
controlled by those who are threatening them. Yet the most courageous
are those who stand up to injustice and actively work to change
it by nonviolently intervening using purely moral courage and
no physical weapons for defense. The most courageous do not kill
out of fear of others but are willing to die if necessary for
what is right. Love and trust, not hate and fear, are the real
marks of the truly courageous. The word "courage" comes
from the French word for heart (coeur). Do we have the
heart to expose ourselves to our opponents trusting in a human
and nonviolent process of reconciliation?

Compassion is what gives us this heart. Compassion may be defined
as the love which not only empathizes with others in feeling what
they are going through, but also is wise and courageous enough
to do something about it. Thus compassion is love in action and
is willing to take on the suffering of others in order to redeem
them and those who are doing wrong to them. In compassion we have
progressed beyond anger and hate of those who are doing wrong
through pity and into mercy and caring and healing. Compassion
comes from an experience of oneness with others which expands
our hearts so that we feel what people are suffering and are moved
to help them.

When we discover that people are dying of starvation or suffering
chronic malnutrition at the same time as the world has surplus
food and is wasting its resources, then compassion tells us we
must work to alleviate this situation. When we see our government
using vast financial, technical, and human resources oppressing
poor people in other countries and threatening all nations on
the earth with genocidal weapons, then compassion tells us that
it is our responsibility to change our nation's priorities from
death and exploitation to life and sharing. When we see the natural
environment deteriorating and this generation robbing the resources
from the future, then compassion tells us that we must learn to
live more in harmony with the Earth and plan for our children's
health and well-being. When we hear of individuals caught in a
web of propaganda and exploitation, not realizing the harm they
are doing nor seeing any other way out from their predicament,
then compassion tells us we must communicate to them the alternatives
which are better for all of us. When we know in our hearts that
we can make a contribution for the betterment of humanity, then
compassion tells us that we must move into action.

Detached Trusting

The way of love is based on the faith that if we act in a good
way without harming anyone, then inevitably in the long run the
results will be good. Instead of trying to control people by threats
and force of might we allow humans to use intelligence to solve
our problems by communication and negotiation. We may trust in
God, or the process of the universe, as well as in human abilities.
By challenging our opponents unarmed we are demonstrating our
trust in them that they will not destroy us. By standing up to
the wrongs we believe they are doing, we are trusting that by
a nonviolent process those wrongs will eventually be redressed.
Ultimately even if our bodies are destroyed, we will have done
what was right and would be trusting that in the future people
would recognize that and right the wrongs eventually.

In order to trust fully we must let go of our own control of
the situation and allow others to participate in the process.
If we are attached to achieving certain results, then we may prejudge
the process and reject the will of the Spirit of the whole. The
situation may not be best resolved in exactly the way we think
it should. Of course we can have goals and objectives for our
action; but once we have defined the purpose of our action we
need to be detached from the specific results along the way. Otherwise
we will find ourselves disappointed and discouraged. The Bhagavad-Gita
teaches non-attachment to the fruits of action. That means that
it is important that we act for the good without worrying about
whether we are immediately successful, and also that we should
not be concerned about receiving any credit or reward for our
work. Jesus spoke about the same thing when he taught how the
selfless person desires no personal reward; the rewards come spiritually
(inwardly) or "in heaven."

Of course being detached and trusting does not mean we should
trust blindly. We must monitor what is going on and be working
toward our objectives constantly. To trust people is not necessarily
to let them take advantage of us. We must watch what they do.
If they betray their word or deceive us, then we can point that
out to them and others. We can continue to protest the wrongs
they are doing while informing the general public. Our own integrity
is always within our own control. We can love others unconditionally,
but we do not have to reward people for doing wrongs. In that
case we do not withdraw our love for them, but we can withdraw
our cooperation from the wrongs we believe they are perpetrating.

Detachment enables us to be free within ourselves from emotional
clinging to people or specific experiences. It does not mean that
we do not care, because we can show that we care by our actions.
To be detached means that we are not controlled by others or by
conditioning or by the situation. We are free enough to transcend
our fears, desires, aversions, ambitions, etc. and perceive what
is truly best for all concerned. This equanimity or even-mindedness
gives us peace within ourselves that we can then share with others
by being calm and in control of ourselves in any situation.

However, this does not preclude the feeling or expressing of
emotion through compassion or other passions; but instead of being
controlled by the emotions we are aware of them and in control
of them so that we can use our feelings in our communication with
others. So when the situation calls for it we may weep in sorrow
or joy, or shout assertively to protest a terrible situation.
These feelings will not destroy our detachment if they are authentic
feelings, we are aware of what is going on, and we are controlling
their expression by channeling the emotional energy in such a
way that it is not harming anyone but is communicating a proper
concern. Feelings are very powerful means of communication, and
often we need to pay more attention to them, not less. To suppress
consciously or repress unconsciously our inner feelings is not
detachment nor is it healthy. If more people would listen and
act on our truer and deeper feelings, our society might not be
as sick as it is today. Thus we can distinguish the difference
between the prevalent psychic numbing in the face of our overwhelming
problems and the detachment which enables us to act freely and
intelligently.

Patient Persistence

Nonviolent activist Jim Douglass referred to patience as a
revolutionary virtue. Others may criticize us as impatient, because
we feel the need to take direct action rather than let a slower
evolutionary process occur. Patience is not an excuse for not
acting, but rather a quality that helps us to endure and persist
in our efforts while proceeding in a calm and intelligent manner.
When we are caught up in action, the emotions are often very active
and sometimes turbulent. We must be careful not to react without
thinking very carefully about what we are doing and what the consequences
are likely to be. Patience gives us time for deliberation and
reflection on the issues and how our actions can be both nonviolent
and yet effective. It is better to wait and perhaps miss a small
opportunity of the moment than to rush into something foolishly
or unprepared. New opportunities always come forward. If we think
out the situation and how we can best deal with it, the next time
it occurs we will be ready to act in a good way.

Unlike military action which strikes quickly and ruthlessly,
nonviolent action is slow and deliberate with ample warning given
to the opponents so that they can consciously decide how they
wish to meet our confrontation. We do not want our opponents to
have to react quickly with instinctive reflexes. We want them
to know us and our methods so that they can respond as calmly
and as intelligently as possible.

Military methods are quick and destructive like fire, but nonviolent
action is flowing and nurturing like water that nourishes growing
things. For some crazy reason people say, "Fight fire with
fire," but does it not make much more sense to fight fire
with water? The flow of water follows the lowest path, but by
flowing constantly for a long time it wears away the hardest rocks.
To be successful, nonviolent movements must continuously persist
until the opposition's hard hearts have melted, and we have achieved
a higher level of cooperation. After Gandhi
returned to India from South Africa, where he spent twenty years
developing his nonviolent methods, it took thirty years before
India won her independence from Great Britain. Women in the United
States worked for the right to vote from 1848 until they achieved
it in 1920. The way for a nonviolent movement to lose is to stop
the effort. As long as we persist, we will make progress in communication,
education, and awakening of the public to the circumstances we
want changed. The quicker way to lose is to become violent and
lose moral credibility. When we act nonviolently, the opponents
may arrest us or allow us to stop the wrong we are acting to stop;
either way we win attention to our cause and make it more difficult
for them to continue those wrongs.

Persistence also means that we must be flexible in our strategy
and tactics. If one method does not work, we should let it go
and try another. If one issue has been resolved successfully,
then we can go on to the next in importance. If one avenue seems
to be blocked, we can flow to another area that needs attention.
If people seem to be losing interest, we can be creative with
new and interesting approaches to the problems. If we feel we
are burned out, we can take a break to replenish our spiritual
and inner resources and come back with renewed energy. We need
to persist not only in our efforts for social change; but even
more important we must persist in our love for one another, for
this above all will sustain us.

The way of love is always patient and forgiving but at the
same time persistent in doing good. When people admit they have
done wrong, we can achieve reconciliation by forgiving them. The
ultimate goal of nonviolent action is not victory over the opponents
but the finding of a harmonious way of living together peacefully
with justice. We seek no advantage over anyone else. We are working
for the good of our adversaries just as much as for ourselves.
Thus when we are successful, everyone will be the victors; and
those who have become converted to a better way of life will truly
deserve just as much credit, if not more, for their transformation
as those who worked to stimulate that change. The way of love
leads to a society in which freedom and equality and justice and
friendly relationships between all people become the norm, what
might be called the reign of God, spiritual democracy, or paradise
on Earth. Since we would be very fortunate indeed to achieve these
goals within our lifetime, we will need a great amount of patience
and persistence.

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For we no longer take up 'sword against nation"
nor do we 'learn war any more,' having become children of peace,
for the sake of Jesus, who is our leader.
Origen

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The alternative to violence is nonviolent resistance....
First, this is not a method for cowards; it does resist.
The nonviolent resister is just as strongly opposed to the evil
against which one protests as is the person who uses violence....
This method is passive physically but strongly active spiritually.

... A second point is that nonviolent resistance
does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent,
but to win their friendship and understanding....

A third characteristic of this method is
that the attack is directed against forces of evil
rather than against persons who are caught in those forces.
It is evil we are seeking to defeat,
not the persons victimized by evil....

A fourth point that must be brought out
concerning nonviolent resistance is that
it avoids not only external physical violence
but also internal violence of spirit.
At the center of nonviolence stands the principle of love.
In struggling for human dignity
the oppressed people of the world must not allow themselves
to become bitter or indulge in hate campaigns.
To retaliate with hate and bitterness
would do nothing but intensify the hate in the world.
Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough
and morality enough to cut off the chains of hate.
This can be done only by projecting the ethics of love
to the center of our lives....

Finally, the method of nonviolence is based on the conviction
that the universe is on the side of justice.
It is this deep faith in the future
that causes the nonviolent resister
to accept suffering without retaliation....

World peace through nonviolent means
is neither absurd nor unattainable.
All other methods have failed,
Thus we must begin anew....

We have the choice in this world today
between nonviolence and non-existence.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Experiment with nonviolent struggle has barely begun.
But in a world in which traditional violent battle
can escalate into nuclear war,
it is an experiment that is absolutely necessary
to push to its furthest limits.
Barbara Deming

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The Politics of Nonviolence

(Note: This section is from an earlier Nonviolence handbook
and has been adapted from The Politics of Nonviolent Action
by Gene Sharp.)

The conventional view of political power sees people as dependent
on the good will and caprice of their government and any other
hierarchical system to which they belong. Power is seen as something
people have; kings, czars, generals hold power as one holds a
knife. Power resides in knowledge, control of wealth and in the
ability to impose violence. Those who serve have little power.
Consequently, those without power must kill or destroy their rulers
and replace them in their positions in order to wield the selfsame
power.

The theory of active nonviolence proposes a different analysis:
that government depends on people and that political power is
variable, even fragile, always dependent on the cooperation of
a multitude of groups and individuals. The withdrawal of that
cooperation restricts and can even dissolve power. Put another
way, power depends on continuing obedience; thus when we refuse
to obey our rulers, their power begins to crumble.

In this sense, nonviolent action is not passive, nor is it
a naive belief in converting the opposition, nor is it a "safe"
method of protest, immune from repression. Rather, it is based
on a different understanding of where people's power really lies.
By disobeying, people learn to withhold, rather than surrender,
their cooperation. This recognizes that the individual's discovery
of self-respect is tied to the recognition that one's own assistance
makes the unjust regime possible. When a large enough group of
people recognizes this, as the "untouchables" did with
Gandhi's help, the result is massive noncooperation and obstruction
involving the use of social, economic, and political power.

Then why don't people decide to withdraw cooperation? Why instead
do so many obey so few? and how can this change? The authorities
are able to wield power both because masses of people passively
obey, and because they have the violent means for suppressing
dissent-police, National Guard, prison guards and prison cells.
A few disobey and are punished, keeping many afraid.

Yet there are chinks in the armor. First, the repressive apparatus
is made up of human beings, whose cooperation is essential. A
nonviolent approach to the police undercuts their rationale for
violence and reveals to neutral parties the extent to which the
system relies on violence and force. Second, the repressive apparatus
can only survive with a minimal level of dissent (either much
mild dissent or a small number of militant dissenters). When dissent
grows and brings pressure to bear, the system breaks down. When
a nonviolent campaign stands its ground using nonviolence to resist
dispersal (not merely for a day or a weekend but over time), it
greatly raises the cost of continuing violence against it until
it is no longer feasible.

Nonviolence Guidelines

1. We will not harm anyone, and we will not retaliate in reaction
to violence.

2. We will be honest and will treat every person with respect,
especially law officers.

3. We will express our feelings but will not harbor hatred.

4. We will be alert to people around us and will provide needed
assistance.

5. As peacekeepers we will protect others from insults and
violence.

6. During a demonstration we will not run nor make threatening
motions.

7. If we see a demonstrator threatening anyone, we will intervene
to calm down the situation. If demonstrators become violent, and
we cannot stop it, we will withdraw.

8. We will not steal, and we will not damage property.

9. We will not carry any weapons.

10. We will not bring or use any alcohol or drugs, other than
for medical purposes.

11. We will keep the agreements we make with other demonstrators.
In the event of a serious disagreement, we may withdraw.

12. We will accept responsibility for our nonviolent actions,
and we will not lie nor use deception to escape the consequences
of our actions.

Nonviolence Preparation

Sample Agenda

5 min. Introduction of Facilitators.
5 min. Agenda Review.
30 min. Slideshow or Video Presentation.
20 min. Introductions and Sharing. People give their names
and organizations and share briefly their concerns about the issue.
30 min. Philosophy and History of Nonviolence. This may
include a brainstorm on what nonviolence is or how it has been
used effectively, as well as some lecture and discussion.
5 min. Nonviolence Guidelines or Discipline.
10 min. Break.
10 min. Present Active Listening Skill.
20 min. Discuss Nonviolence in Triads. In groups of three,
people share their personal feelings about nonviolent action by
responding to questions, such as "What are the qualities
of nonviolence you personally hope to embody?" and "What
is leading you to nonviolently protest?" Each person speaks
in turn as the other two actively listen.
20 min. Hassle Line Role-play. The group divides in half
and forms two parallel lines facing each other. One line plays
the role of opponents or the police, while the other line is demonstrators
attempting to communicate their concerns. Switch roles.
10 min. Scenario. Review plans for anticipated direct action.
30 min. Meal Break.
30 min. Consensus Process and Affinity Groups. Discuss
how consensus works and what affinity groups are.
15 min. Consensus Role-play. Group struggles through the
process of coming to consensus on some decision, such as agreeing
to the Nonviolence Discipline.
15 min. Affinity Group Quick Decision-making Role-play.
Group is faced with a situation, such as police brutality in an
action and must decide quickly as a group how to respond.
30 min. Legal Briefing. Discuss legal options and possible
consequences.
10 min. Break.
20 min. Direct Action Role-play. Assign and play out the
roles involved in an arrest situation to include people risking
arrest, supporters, military personnel, law enforcement officers,
media reporters, counter-demonstrators, etc. Share feelings afterwards.
20 min. Jail Conditions. Discuss local jail conditions
and share feelings concerning incarceration.
20 min. Solidarity Issues. Discuss options of cite release,
bail, fines, probation, etc. in regard to strategies of refusing
certain options for group empowerment.
10 min. Affinity Group Formation. Find out if individuals
are in Affinity Groups or whether they would like to form one
or more out of the Preparation.
10 min. Evaluation and Closing Circle. Share feelings.